Making the case for hover interactions in maps

In keeping with my recent spate of mapping nerdiness, I decided to take an interactive map I produced last month displaying statewide annual population changes a step further by adding mouseover/hover capabilities. Here’s the hover-y, nicely-colored chloropleth map I came up with. But before I get into the nitty-gritty of how I created the map –– which I’ll explain step-by-step in a later post –– let me exercise a bit of self-indulgence by defending my growing belief in the need for hover capabilities when visualizing geographic data.

Not too long ago, I was an avid believer in the no-frills, less-interactivity-is-more approach to mapping geographic data, espoused by the brilliant Brian Boyer (@brianboyer), News Applications Editor for NPR and a former member of the News Apps Team at The Chicago Tribune. Boyer’s argument for the need to keep maps simple –– like they used to be back in the days of ink and paper –– certainly has its merits. After all, the process of bringing a physical map closer to one’s eyes to get a better view is a natural, timeless user interaction, and maps like this one, which Boyer produced during his time at The Tribune, are far more intuitive in communicating information upon first glance than many of the infoWindow-laden Google maps being produced by news organizations these days, many of them simply for the sake of being called ‘interactive’ (for those of you fortunate enough not to be mapping nerds, infoWindow is just Google-speak for the clickable popup boxes you see in Google maps).

But Boyer’s minimalist mapping aesthetic only really works when you have one or two pieces of textual data you want to display for each geographic area. What if you have multiple pieces of information you want to display for each polygon, such as in this snazzy map from The Texas Tribune? Or, less likely but equally problematic, what if you need to bind non-textual data to your geographic polygons, such as images or Google Charts? In cases such as these, you’re going to need to provide some sort of interaction that allows the user to expand and collapse the data for each area individually, or you’ll just end up with a chronic case of visual overload.

Not to mention, on a more abstract level, studies have repeatedly shown that users tend to spend more time on applications that provide direct feedback based upon their actions, even if that feedback sometimes makes their ability to consume information at first glance less efficient (see Donald Norman’s 2005 book Emotional Design: Why We Love (Or Hate) Everyday Things, in which Norman asserts that the feeling of emotional satisfaction and empowerment users receive from triggering an action not only puts them in a clearer state of mind, but also makes them more engaged in the information at hand). So, if we’re trying to communicate geographic data to users as effectively as possible, it only makes sense that we’d want to have a certain degree of user interaction –– both for the sake of preventing visual overload and for making users feel more engaged. Such is the logic behind clickable infoWindows.

Still, clickable popups leave us with another problem: Users have to make the conscious and deliberate effort to click a polygon to see the data for that geographic area. Requiring clicks may sound like a trivial task to the designer or journalist-programmer, but for the short-attention span user, it can be an awful lot to ask for. To be fair, however, click-triggered popups may not be much of a problem for maps with only a few dozen polygons. But for maps with hundreds of small polygons –– say, census tracts or zip codes –– it can be very tedious to click the right polygon without first having to zoom into the map so far that you lose sight of the broader context.

That leads me back to a conversation I had a couple of months ago with a friend of mine from Columbia’s J-School, Michael Keller (@mhkeller), who’s now working as the Senior Data Reporter at The Daily Beast. Michael insisted to me after a Hacks/Hacker event that providing hover interaction for maps is almost always a good thing, because hovers require less work on the part of the user. I’ll admit that I was dubious at the time, thinking of hovers as often unwanted, accidental triggers that can be distracting to the map and data at hand. But lately I’ve come around to his way of seeing things. If implemented correctly (i.e. no flashy interactions that cover up other parts of the map), hovers are almost always a good idea. For example, this recent map of New York Stop-and-Frisk data that Keller produced for The New York World using CartoDB and Leaflet is so detailed that it couldn’t possibly have worked without infoWindows, and would have been unwieldy if it relied on click-triggered interaction. By including floating mouseover capabilities, the map allows the user to scan quickly through the chloropleth map to see individual Stop-and-Frisk data from each block, without having to attempt to click through minute geographic areas.*

I’m certainly not advocating interaction for interaction’s sake (although such a case could be made, given the dynamics of the Web). But I am saying that hovers give more immediate visual feedback than click-triggered events, especially in maps. Hovers help draw users into the data without requiring them to seek it out consciously–– almost like a catchy lede would in a print narrative. So for the time-being, I’m pro-hover.

*Keller later messaged me letting me know that some examples which better illustrate the power of hovers include this map and this map, both of which use hover functionality to help highlight the effects of proposed redistricting efforts in the New York State Senate. What you’ll also notice about Keller’s maps is that they include hover states, which I also think is a necessity, especially for maps that include lots of small polygons.

Who I Am

I'm a twenty-something data-driven journalist, digital educator and news app developer based in Brooklyn, NY . I also like yogurt, Github, information design and just about every song from Taylor Swift's "1989."

Testimonials

I was privileged to work with Carl on several collaborative social media projects during his time with the Savannah Morning News. His innovative ideas and technical skills played an integral role in how information was communicated at key events in Savannah for visitors such as the 189th St. Patrick's Day Parade and Festival.
Carl developed digital systems to establish a central calendar and revamped website and smartphone app for DoSavannah that put the Savannah Morning News on the map as a trusted resource for mainstream and alt events in the area that appealed to locals and visitors.
Carl's ability to complete projects under tight deadlines and keep a positive attitude made him an enjoyable partner to work with and I enjoyed collaborating on special projects and promotions with him!

I've known Carl since he was arguably the brightest student in his university journalism program. Since then he has gone on to be the in house innovator everywhere he has been. Carl not only understands where digital journalism needs to be today, he is also thinking about where it needs to go next and how he can help get it there. Every newsroom needs a Carl.

Carl set the bar for news reporting at the Oxford Student, where I had the good fortune of working with him as an editor. He was the model of a dedicated, tenacious reporter, bringing intelligence and a craftsman’s passion to every story. Carl innovated too, pitching and executing a successful redesign of the paper’s website. And working with him was a joy on a personal level – he made quite a splash in our stolid British student newsroom. We often held up Carl’s work as an exemplar after he left Oxford. I am sure he will inspire future colleagues too.

Carl was a terrific and accomplished participant in the class, "Making the Business of Journalism Work." He was super dependable in discussions, always participating and frequently giving an interesting twist. All of his writing was excellent, having practically perfect papers each time. At the end of the semester, Carl had a thorough and sophisticated understanding of the principles of the class. He will be an excellent manager and strategist in any kind of media business – or company – that he participates in.

I am a reporter for the Daily Telegraph in London but knew Carl Lewis when we studied together at Oxford University.
We both worked on The Oxford Student newspaper, where I served as reporter and news editor, rising to become editor and then head of investigations.
In those latter two roles, Carl worked alongside me as reporter and news editor and it is a mark of his character that he was both the best colleague and my toughest competition on the staff.
Carl put in long hours and they paid off with splash af^er splash, several of which were picked up by national
newspapers. One of these, which appeared in the Daily Mail, credited Carl as joint reporter - and deservedly so given the piece was almost all his own woric.
He was enthusiastic and lively, a great team player keen to encourage more junior members of staff. But perhaps what made the greatest impression was his ability to temper tenacity with empathy: he was determined to get the
story but also to understand his sources and to act with impeccable ethics.
I now work for one of Britain's biggest daily papers and I have rarely encountered people of such quality as Carl. I am confident that he would exceed your expectations.

Carl is a terrific digital mind. He has proven his fluency in several critical web development languages - HTML5, CSS, Javascript and PHP - and he uses those skills to craft engaging, intuitive digital projects.
Better still, Carl is fully capable of disseminating his knowledge to his team and coworkers. He is no closet-and-dark-room developer; he can lead a team from concept to finished project.
And like any good journalist, he's detail oriented and deadline driven.

Working with Carl is pure joy...he's on top of his digital game no doubt, but he brings his special brand of humor and wit to bear on the marketing and branding department. Carl will thrive in an entrepreneurial environment, wearing multiple hats. He's enthusiastic about "big data" and tackling complex problems. He's as comfortable working with a team as he is contributing to projects from his own corner of the world. If you're looking for someone who brings a fresh outlook to his work, who is constantly evolving, and who is passionate about building a quality digital experience, look no further than Carl V. Lewis.

For almost a year-and-a-half, I had the rewarding opportunity to work under Carl’s leadership during his time as Digital Media Manager and Online Editor for the Savannah Morning News and savannahnow.com.
During his tenure, Carl reinvigorated my journalistic efforts as an online content producer with hands-on web training, valuable expertise and knowledge of current media trends and exemplary practices for enhancing storytelling and audience engagement.
He is a fierce team leader, a thorough communicator and an exceptional motivator, often instilling confidence in me when I didn’t think I could accomplish advanced digital tasks on my own. His strengths as an instructor helped me to master web and mobile app development, data visualization and other interactive tools to produce more effective story packages and creative content.
Carl also lobbied for opportunities that would allow his team members to gain professional development and greater exposure in the journalism industry. Most notably, in October 2013, I traveled with him to the Online News Association conference in Atlanta where we joined highly engaged digital professionals to discuss tools and techniques advancing the value of news media. It was my first time networking with leading digital journalists from around the country.
Carl’s time at the Savannah Morning News tremendously altered the newsroom’s collective approach to digital practices. Even after his employment, he still readily and generously offers consultation, advice and support in any of our company’s endeavors. We continue to value his passionate work ethics and eagerness to teach, and our team is significantly better because of his contributions

During the spring of 2012, I was fortunate to have Carl as a student in my class on Data Joumalism and Information Visualization at Columbia Journalism School. Throughout the semester, Carl proved to be a bright, dedicated student and valuable team partner whose enthusiasm, insight, and considerable skills enhanced both classroom discussions and his individual and group projects.
Unlike most of his classmates, Carl arrived in my class with a fair amount of experience in programming and web development, having created content management systems for
small websites for several years. Though this meant that Carl was already familiar with many of the concepts we discussed in class - especially during our programming labs -
he engaged fully with all of the lessons and class discussions, using his existing skills as a springboard to take given assignments above and beyond what was required, rather than using them as a crutch to skate through the material. This was evident most distinctly towards the end of the semester, when, having had to miss some weeks of school due to very significant personal loss, Carl not only made up his missed assignments but went beyond a simple blog response and executed his final critiques with a level of rigor and detail that would be welcome in any professional circle. He also redoubled his
contributions to his group’s final project, which was one of the class’s most sophisticated
and successful.
Carl's unique critical, academic and personal achievement led me to award him the only honor's designation among the 15 students in my class – a recognition that he richly deserves. He is a person whom I would gladly welcome as a newsroom colleague myself, and I think any organization that has the opportunity to work with him will quickly feel the same.

Carl was a colleague of mine while we were both studying at Columbia Journalism School in 2011-2012, and he later went on to become a professional mentor-of-sorts to me after he moved back to New York City, at least in terms of digital media. Although Carl underwent two significant profound family losses in just a year-and-a-half’s time – losses that would have shaken even the most committed of journalists and developers – he never gave up hope, spending hours teaching himself new skills while simultaneously balancing a slew of family obligations.
Shortly after losing his father to melanoma while we were in graduate school, Carl and I worked together on a project for a story I was writing for The New York Times, and that also was part of Columbia’s annual Innovation Showcase. Carl took charge of all multimedia aspects of the project, putting together an interactive flowchart in a matter of hours and assembling all the presentation materials to perfection. He put in his 100 percent in during a time in his life when most people wouldn’t have the fortitude to put in 50 percent.
The most notable trait that sets Carl apart in my mind is his genuine, intellectually-driven passion for data visualization and digital news that has never seemed to be motivated by the allure of having a “big name media” job or a byline in a national publication. While many of his much-less digitally-talented peers stayed in New York following graduation to strive after the “perfect” brand name news gig, Carl opted to honor his family obligations by taking a leadership position at the daily newspaper in Savannah, Ga., just two hours away from his mom in south Georgia so that he could visit her more often. I don’t know of many people with as much talent in the media industry as Carl who would make that kind of sacrifice. It’s a testament to his loyalty – a loyalty that would be an attribute for any company that has the opportunity to have him join their team.